Adjustable arch-support for shoes.



L M. CALLAHAN.

ADJUSTABLE ARCH SUPPORT FOR SHOES.

APPLlcAnoN rlLEn1uLY20,1915.

1 1 87,25 5 Patented June 13, 1916.k

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JAMES MARION CALLAHAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ADJUSTABLE ARCH-SUPPORT FOR SHOES.

Specification f Letters Patent.

Patent-ed June 13, 1915?;

Application led July 20, 1915. Serial No. 40,868.

T 0 all 'w wm it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Jamas M. CALLAnAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at lVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented anew and useful Adjustable Arch-Support for Shoes; and I do hereby.

tremely painful, thereby quickly proelucing a tired feeling andpreventing any great amount1 of walking.

Therefore., an object of this invention (which relates to a new anduseful adjustable arch support to be worn upon the in terior ,of theshoe adjacent the arch or i1- step) is to provide an improved device lifthis design, for strengthening, reinforcing, and restoring fallenvor.brol.n or wrenched arch or instep to its normal condition, so thata. person can walk without inconvenience and excruciating pain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of pads ofdifferent thicknesses, and of which only one is illustrated,

so that an arch may gradually build up,

strengthen, or reinforce. u The invention further aims to if.' wide anadjustable pad, adjustable interni. iate between the lowermostreinforcing metal plate of the support and a iber'strip, so that the padmay be arranged to conveniently conform to the curvature of the arch,for strengthening and reinforcing the same.

Another object of the invention is to construct the pad or pads fromrubber, felt, or any other suitable material, having suitable adjustablefastening means to the lowermost reinforcing metal plate, in order to beadjusted as required.

Another object of the invention is the p rovision of .a fiber pieceabove the pad(whlch is removable, renewable, or replaceable, and whenremovedjhe space between the plate I andthe upper piece may be cleaned)and riveted to the lowermost reinforcing fmetal strip, so that itsIforward end may be iaised sothat the pad can be removed, the upperfiber piece being so constructed-toward its rear as to contact with therear heel portion of the shoe to form an abutment, to limit the supportin its backward movement and to prevent creeping thereof.

Another' object of the invention is to provide a lowermost metalsupporting plate of the arch with a reinforcing groove or rib, forstifl'ening and bracing the plate. However, this rib or groove maybedispensed with if desired.

In practical fields the details of construc- Ation may necessitatealterations, falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises furtherfeatures and combination of parts, ashereinafter Set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

ln the drawings z-Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the improved archsupport arranged inthe shoe, which is shown in dotted lines, andillustrating the upper fiber,

piece as lifted, and the padA ready to be inserted. Fig. 2 is asectional view through a portion of the shoe, showing the arch supportas applied. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3,-2'5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the fasten' means of thepad. with the lowerin strengthening or reinforcing plate. Fige f. is anenlarged bottom plan view of theunder face of the lowerlnost metallicreinforrmg plate, showing parts broken and illu? ing the pad, andslimving the fasten means on an enlarged scale.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates the instep orarch poi-tien of a portion of the e 2, whereas` f1 de notes thelowermosi.

nforcing metal plate..

which designed to fit within the shoe, an@

to extend substantially the full length of the arch or instep of theshoe and protrude gf tially upon a portion of the ball of the so of theshoe, thereby preventing excess distortion or sagging of the instep oftlc shoe. The thickness of the plate 3 grafiually tapers oil at 4 towardits forward por tion, and tapers oft` at 5 toward its rear portion. Thelrear tapered portion of the plate 3 may terminate .any distance beyondthe point of the instep a, as indicated in Fig. 2,

but not `to extend completelyiat the rear of the heel of the shoe.. tThis plate with the exception of the groove. or rib G 1s substantiallyflat toward its outer edge 7, and which rib or groove may be employed ordispensed with, as desired. The side of the plate 3 opposite the sideportion 7 is curvedv outwardly and upwardly as shown at 8 and gradually.tapers off' as shown at 9, thereby forming :a curved flange 10, whichreinforces and strengthens the inner curve of the arch or instep of thewearers foot. The

late 3 is designed to be substantially of he shape shown, but it is to'be' remembered that the shape may be varied as desired, to suit thevarious makesand contours of shoes. The flange or lip 10 gradually talpers or merges or blends off-and into thefoot. Designed to be riveted at13 and 14` adjacent the rear of the plate is a leather or other fiberpiece 15 (which may be termed, if desired, a substantially half lengthinsole) and this leather, or fiber piece 15 adjacent its inner side edgeis provided with an extension flange or lip 16, which sub stantially orpartially conforms to the contour of the flange or lip 10. This flangeor lip 16 also merges or tapers ofll or blends into the piece toward itsforward and` rear portion, somewhat correspondingly to the gradualtapering or blending of the flange orplip 10. This leather or fiberpiece 15 may be riveted to the plate 3 at any suitable place, otherwisethan shown, according to the makes and contour of different shoes. Theheel portion 17 of the leather or fiber piece may be somewhat dished, asshown, so

as to conform to the under curvature of the heel of the wearer. The heelportion 17.

of the fiber piece 15 is somewhat thicker as shown, than the forwardpart thereof, but which thickness may be increased or de creased ifdesired, or may be substantially the same thickness asthe forwardportion of the piece. However, the extremity 18 of of the heel portion17 of the piece 15 is del signed to be blunt, and may be substantiallythe same thickness as shown at 17, which in combination with thenecessary thickness 17 affords sufficient stiffness, whereby theextremity 18 forms an abutment against the 'heel port-ion of the upperof the shoe as at 19, to prevent the leather or fiber piece and themetal plate 3 (which are "riveted together) from creeping rearwardly. 1'The forward portion of the leather or fiber piece graduallytapers off asshown at 20, and is designed to overlie or overlap the forward taperedpart 4 of the metal plate 3, so that that portion of the bottom of thewearers foot substantially intermediate the ball thereof and the archwill contact with a smooth and even surface, designed to be ernployed inconnection with and intermediate the leather olrfber p'i'ce ond theplate 3,

is a padding 21,'whichI is designed to be constructed of rubber, felt orother suitable material. It is tobe observed that the padding 21gradually tapers off toward the rear and forwardly, as shown at 22 and23, in order to neatly fit between the plate 3 and the leather or fiberpiece 15, in such wise as '.to prevent bulges or unevennesses in the,leather or fiber piece, thereby affording a smooth surface withA whichthe Wearers foot is designed to contact. The padding 21 slightly taperstoward its outer edge 24, whereas the opposite or inner -portion of thepadding is constructed with an upwardly and outwardly curved flange 25tapering off as shown at 26, and designed to fit between and conformwith the flanges or lips 10 and 16 of the plate 3 and the leather orfiber piece 15.

In using this improved reinforcing arch support, one after another ofthe plurality of paddings is designed to be used, thereby building upthe arch or instep of the wearers foot, until it resumes its normalshape, and after constant wearing of the requisite thickness of padding,the arch or instep of the wearers foot will maintain itsnormal conditionand curvature. That portion 27 of the padding adjacent where it mergesinto the lip or flange 25 is of greater thickness than, that portionadjacent its outer edge 24. The padding 21, when made of rubber, may bemade in any suitable manner, either by molding, vulcanizing or otherwise. However, when constructed, the same is provided with a, pluralityof headed studs sumes a position at a slight angle to the op- A stud,owing to the same being so arranged or vulcanized in the pad, for thepurpose to be hereinafter stated. The plate 3 is provided with aplurality of slots or openposite ings arranged in rows as shown. Theslots 32 of one row are disposed at right angles to the slots 33 of theopposite row, and bothrows of slots may be4 increased or decreased innumber, or disposed in any other suitable manner than thatshown,'provided one row is substantially opposite to thevother, or theequivalent of such arrangement. Both rows of slots upon the under faceof the plate 3 are lar counter-bores 34-and 35, so as to receive theheads 30 of the studs'when the pad is arranged in place, The Shanks ofthe Studs l provided with adjoining circu- A sired, and if necessarythestuds canbc are cylindrical, and when the pad is to be arranged inplace (which is accomplished before inserting the arch support 1n the`shoe), the head 30 of the stud adjacent the outer side edge 24 of thepad' is passed through one of the slots 32 (the pad having been first,turned, so that the-elongated head registers with one of the slots 32)after which the pad is turned or adjusted to its proper-position withthe lip or fiange Z5 in contact with the lip or fiange 10, causing thehead 30 of the stud to engage the counter-bore 34 of the slot 32. Thepad adjacent the flange or lip 25 is then distorted or twistedsufficiently, to cause the angular-ly disposed head of the other stud(which is adjacent the lip orfiange 25) to snap into one of the slots33, so that the elongated head of said stud will partially engage thecounterbore adjacent or adjoining the slot' 33, therebyT locking the padto the plate 3 and between the plate and the piece 15. To cause the headof the .sind to more readily snap through the slot 33, the slot adjacentthc upper face of said plate 3 is suitably curved or beveled'otf, asshown at 36 particularly in Fig. i, which will necessitate requisitepressure to cause the head of the stud to wedge through the slot. Ifnecesary, after the bead has thoroughly j'iassed through the slot 83, apair of j'fiers or other suitable tool (not shown) may be used forgrasping the head. in order to impart a partial turn tothe head of thestud, .in fact, turn the stud, to cause the head to further engage thecountribore.

From the foregoing it is to be observed that there has been devised anin'iproved arch support, adapted to be worn upon the interior of theshoe, and which support is simple and eiiicient in construction, andhasi been found effective and practical for reinforcing, strengtheningand restoring fallen, broken, wrenched or otherwise weakened arches orinsteps of persons feet.

The plate 29 of one of the headed studs `is provide'd with ribs 50 uponone of its surfaces to prevent the plate and the stud from turning.Similar ribs may be provided upon the plate 29 of the other stud if sodeturned, even though the Aribs are used, by; employing a pair of pliers(not shown) or other suitable tool. The ribs are prbvided for the uiposeof preventing the plates and the stu s from turning accidentally, and ifdesired the ribs may be dispensed with. If one of the studs is turned,that is, the one .having the ribs on its plate 29, by means of pliers orother` too= will not hinder the ribs from holdingV from accideptalturning or dispi:

Very often the arch supports ofqthgs nature engages flush through thentire'iength of the shoe, and if metallic` plate in the arch sllpport isbuilt to raise the arch or the instep of the foot at certain heights,and if-the fasteners between the cushioning pad should protrude belowthe under face 0f the main plate of the support, said fasteners wouldtend to raise the arch support higher than is necessary. Furthermore, ifthe fasteners protruded below the under face of the main plate, thefasteners would tend to injure or mar the upper surface of the arch ofthc shoe. Therefore, a particular advantage in eountersinking the headsof the fasteners of the cushioning pad in the under surface of the. mainplate, is to avoid`ra-ising thearch support higher than necessary, andto prevent the fasteners from injuring the upper surface of the arch ofthe shoe. By varying the thickness ofthe rear portion of the insoleIbeyond therear endsV of said plates and abutting the rearledge of theinsole against the heel of the shoe, the support will raise andaccommodate the heel of the foot in accordance with the height -of thearch of the fot. In other words, it is the aim of the invention toprovide the insole at its rear with varying thicknesses, so that thearch support, and the varying thicknesses of the insole, will raise thearch andthe heel of the foot correspondingly.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and usefulisz- 1. An arch support, comprising a reinforcing metallic platedesigned to expand the arch of a shoe on the interior thereof andprovided with two rows of slots, the slots 100 of one row extending' atright angles to the slots of the otherrow and being-substantiallyoppositely disposed, said slots having adjoining counter-boxes adjacentthe under face of, plate, a fiber piece having one 105 end portionsecured to said plate and extending rearwardly and forwardly andoverlying both en( s of the plate, and a one piece cushioning padinterposed between the fiber j iiece and the plate and having a pairof'110 headed studs embedded therein, said studs l ada ptcd to enter theopenings, whereby their heads are vadapted to engage the counterbores,said heads being of thicknesses substantially equal to the eounterboresso that 11p the heads are flush with the und`er surface of the plat-e,the head of one ofo' the studs being at a slight angle to the head ofthe otherstud, thereby requiring anangularly disposed 4head to besnapped into its bpen- 120 ing subsequently to the vinsertionof theother lug into its opening.

'2. An arch support, comprising a reinforcing metallic plate designedtoexpand the arch of a f shoe on the interior thereof 41215 and providedwith two rows of-,slotas, the sats of one row extending at righta'glesto the slots of the other row and bcingsubstan tiellyoppositelydisjmscd, said slots having adjoining counter-bores adjacent the under`.)`v

face of said plate, a fiber piece having one end portion secured to saidplate 'and extending rearwardly and forwardly and overlying both ends ofthe plate, and a one piece cushloning pad interposed between the fiberpiece and the -plate and having a pair of headed studs embedded therein,the heads of the studs being elongated, and said studs adapted to ent'erthe slots, whereby their heads are adapted to engage the counterbores,said heads being of thicknesses substantially equal to the counterboresso that the heads are fiush with the under surface of the plate, thehead of one stud being at a slight angle to the head of the other stud,

thereby requiring the angularly disposed head to be snapped into itsslot subsequently to the insertion of the other lug into its slot, theslot that receives the angularly disposed head having curved wallsadjacent the upper surface of the plate to permit the angularly disposedhead to more readily snap into the slot.

3. An arch support comprising in combination with a metallic plateadapted to expand the arch of the Shoe on the interior thereof, a onepiece cushioning pad having adjustable fastening connections with saidplate adjacent the arch of the shoe, and a fiber piece having one endsecured near to the rear end of said plate and extending over the padand having a rear heel engaging thickcned and stifl'ened. portionprovided with a .blunt edge, constituting abutting means at the heelportion of the shoe to prevent creeping of the support rearwardly andpreventing the rear terminal of the piece from creeping upwardly.

4. An arch support comprising a main plate, having counterboredopenings, an insole or covering having one of its end por- ,tionssecured to one end of said plate, with' iits other end free anddisconnected, and a cushioning pad having fasteners embedded therein,said fasteners being provided with heads substantially equal to andengaging the full depths of said counterbored parts of s aid openings ofthe main plate.

5. An arch support comprising a main plate, an insole or coveringsecured to one end of said plate, said plate having counterboredopenings therein, and a cushioning pad insertible between the insole andsaid plate `and having fasteners protruding through said openings, saidfasteners having heads substantially equal to and being embedded in thecounterbored parts of said openings.

6. An arch support comprising a main plate, an insole or coveringsecured to one end of said plate, said plate in its arch p0rtion havingopposite rows of openings, which are provided with countcrbores adjacentthe under surface of the plate, and a cushioning pad insertible betweenthe insole and said plate and having fasteners rotruding through saidopenings,`said asteners having heads engaging the counterbores of saidopenings, said heads being flush with the under surface of said mainplate.

7. An arch support comprising a main plate, an insole or coveringsecuredl to ono end of said plate and having its other end free anddisconnected, said plate in its arch portion having opposite rows ofopenings, which are provided with counter-bores in the under surface ofthe plate, and a cushioning pad insertible between thc insole and saidplate and having fasteners embedded therein and designed to protrudethrough Said openings, said fasteners having heads engaging thecounterbores of said openings, said heads being flush with the undersurface of said Y.

jacent each side of the pad, one of said fasteners designed to protrudethrough one of the openings of one row, subsequently turning the pad andpassing the fastener at the other side through the opening of theopposite row, said fasteners having .heads engaging the counter-bores ofsaid openings.

9. An arch support compris. Y g a main plate, an insole secured to oneend of said plate and having its rear portion extending beyond the plateand gradually varying in thickness and abutting the hee] of the shoe,said plate having openings, a cushioning pad insertible between theinsole and said plate and having fasteners adjust-ably cooperating andprotruding through said openings, said fasteners having headscountersunken inthe openings and flush with the under face of saidplate.

In testimony whereof I4 have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses,

JAMES MARION CALLAHAN. Witnesses:

PHILIP A. H. TERRELL,

ROBERT A. BozwELL.

